Fish lift and descent device for save the obstacles in the rivers, generating electrical energy

ABSTRACT

The device, comes to solve the problem of the Spanish rivers by the absence of migratory fish in dams, salmon, sea trout, shadles, sabogas, lampreys, eels, etc. The ascent of the fish is achieved by the mechanical actuation of an endless screw or Archimedes, located in an adapted channel, which, turning on its axis clockwise, allows water to be raised from the rivers including the existing fish in the bank. The descent of the fish is achieved by the passage of water with the fish through the screw. The passage induces an anti-clockwise rotation in the screw that is used to generate electricity. The sale of electricity allows investments to be financed for the environmental effect essential for compliance with current legislation and the provisions of the 2015-2021 Hydrological Plans, at no cost to the concessionaire of the exploitation nor the Spanish state.

SECTOR OF THE TECHNIQUE

Due to the effects generated, the invention belongs to the sectors:

-   -   1) Ecological environmental     -   2) Energy.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the prior art the ascent and descent of the fish by the rivers, was based on the construction of inclined channels through which a river flow of water flowed. The fish move forward with the semi-submerged body with great difficulty of movement due to the obstacles that placed them to get a permanence of water in the channel.

Other systems establish stairs with puddles where the fish climb with great effort and spectacular jumps in the case of salmon. Large fish fight desperately against obstacles with better or worse results.

In all these systems a water flow is used that logically is not used for power generation. That is why; farm dealers are reluctant to waste part of their concession on something so “unprofitable.”

Almost all of the dams of the Spanish rivers, today lack the mandatory “salmon scales” or passage systems for fish. Highlights the famous Miño River, once salmon and with abundance of fish in its entire basin until its source, today stands out in Europe for the lack of valuable fish fauna such as salmon, inmates, shad, sabogas, lampreys, eels, etc. On the Tajo River, with an important fauna of marine lampreys in the Portuguese zone disappears when it reaches the Spanish border, in the Cedillo reservoir, without any passage for fish.

The problem stems from the widespread construction of dams of electrical energy generation with use of water currents, using high-speed turbines. The designs of that time did not contemplate the “salmon scales” although they existed in the legislation.

The cause of these constructions was the developmentalism born of the need to overcome the damage of the civil war and the impoverished situation of Spain in the 40s and 50s of the last century. Everything seemed to be useful to improve the standard of living and combat the situation of hunger and misery. The investments of Spanish companies lacking environmental sensitivity impoverished the Galician and Spanish river basins among which the Mino river stands out.

The generations of those years could contemplate the rivers with abundant life for fishing, which was food and enjoyment of the inhabitants of the populations bathed by the rivers. Young people today only knows the presence of fish without gastronomic value.

Even today, politicians, as a gesture of promoting their image as nature lovers, drop salmon fry in river streams. Unfortunately their lacks of foresight, those who manage to develop, send them to the funnels of the electric power generation turbines to be annihilated with their 500 revolutions per minute.

In a strange way, animalist parties have not raised their voices against these systems although some political party is already beginning to request that animals be differentiated, in this case, fish, from objects, considering them as living senses.

Appendix 13. Criteria for assessing the “franqueabilidad” (reach over) of Annex III of the Hydrological Plan of the Spanish part of the DH of Miño-Sil (2105-2021) (BOE Jan. 19, 2016 Sec. I, Page 3320) is analyzed the problem and a procedure is established to evaluate the pass capacity in the ascent and descent of the fish with index: reach over, IF, compartmentalisation, IC, longitudinal continuity and priority action, IPA. Apart from its concern about the problem and its quantification, the regulations do not provide any technical solution although, in the drafting of the Hydrological Plan, highlights the interest of the legislator for the environmental quality of the rivers.

With the aim of collaborating with our society and in the order to correcting the exposed problem, achieving the elimination of deficiencies and improving both productive and investment yields and costs of maintenance, there is a method widely studied by the applicant for the patent called FISH LIFT AND DESCENT DEVICE FOR SAVE THE OBSTACLES IN THE RIVERS, GENERATING ELECTRICAL ENERGY, which is described below.

EXPLANATION OF THE INVENTION

The device is a system that comes to solve the great problem of the absence of migratory fish in Spanish rivers with dams and walls.

The fish ascent is accomplished by means of the mechanical drive by electric motor, of an endless screw or of Archimedes, located in an adapted channel, with the axis inclined with respect to the horizontal one, that when rotating on its axis clockwise, it allows to raising the water of the rivers, including the existing fish.

The descent of the fish is achieved by the passage of water with the fish through the screw, which induces an anti-clockwise rotation in the screw that is used to produce electricity through the same engine running as a generator.

The sale of electricity allows investments to be financed with an essential environmental effect for compliance with the legislation, at no cost to the concessionaire of the use of water, nor for the Administration.

The invented system (1) consists of six fundamental parts:

Fixed support structure and external channel (2)

Endless screw or Archimedes mobile inside (3)

Mechanical Motor-Generator connection to the screw (4)

Reversible Electric Motor-Generator (5)

Water retention gate (6)

System of conduction of the fish towards the zone of descent or lowering.

Fixed Support Structure and External Channel (2)

It consists of a network of fixed vertical, horizontal and inclined welded bars, with a sheet of steel forming a semi-cylindrical channel. The structure supports the props of the screw shaft or Archimedes (3) and the channel to achieve water conduction. These props will be provided with suitable bearings to allow rotation of the shaft with minimal friction. The structure (2) is fixed to the foundation bases by means of anchors to the ground to prevent the displacement of the supports. The structure fixed will also serve to support the motor-generator (5) and its mechanical connection to the screw or Archimedes (4).

Endless Screw or Archimedes Mobile Inside (3)

It consists of an inclined tubular main axis to which sheets are radials attached forming the helicoids of the screw. The welded connection of the sheets is made “butt”, that is perpendicular to the generatrix of the cylinder that forms the axis. The spaces that form between the axis, the helicoids and the external support channel, allow the movement of water and its movement up or down. The main axis of the screw allows the actuation of the mechanical connection (4), which in turn is connected to the motor-generator (5). The axis of the screw is inclined with respect to the horizontal to achieve water ascent or descent.

Mechanical Motor-Generator Connection to the Screw (4)

It consists of a rotation speed control system with its main axis coinciding with the axis of the screw (3) and its secondary axis connected with the electric motor-generator (5). It is anchored to the fixed support structure and outer channel (2). This design allows simple and economical manufacturing as well as low replacement maintenance.

Reversible Electric Motor-Generator (5)

The device allows both drive positions. a) Position of energy production and descent of the fish (7). b) Consumption position of energy and rise of water and fish (8). An electricity generator is available which, with a change of connections and its adequate power supply, can function as a screw drive motor to raise water and fish (8). The normal operating state will be of energy production and descent of the fish (7). In the presence of fish with need to ascend or rise the river, we make the change of position of (7) to (8) to allow the ascent or raise.

Water Retention Gate (6)

For the purpose of suppressing or controlling the passage of the turbine inlet channel, a gate (6) for closing the access channel controlled by hydraulic or pneumatic means will be available.

Fish Conduction System Towards the Descent or Descent Zone.

In order to ensure that the fish during the descent do not move towards the turbine inlets, fish repellents will be placed in the entrance area of the turbines of the dams and fish attraction equipment in the entrance area of the fish descent or lowering device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To complement the description that is being made and in order to help a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, accompanies as an integral part of said description, a drawing where, for illustrative and non-limiting purposes, the following has been represented:

FIG. 1.—Shows a side view of the device of the invention.

The drawing is presented as an example of an ascent or raise and descent or lowering device for saves of obstacles for fish in rivers, with electric power generation.

The aforementioned drawing is a side view of the device in which the parts of which it is composed can be seen: The support structure forming a channel (2), the auger or Archimedes screw (3), the speed control system and the change of rotation (4) and the electric motor-generator (5).

In the sectioned view of the water inlet and outlet channel, the operation of the device can be seen. Channel passage can be controlled of entry to the turbine, with a gate (6) for closing the access channel controlled hydraulically or pneumatically.

The descent of the fish is achieved by allowing the waters of the river to be introduced into the screw channel or Archimedes to generate electric power (7). The ascent or lift of the fish is produced by sucking or pumping the waters with the twist of the screw or Archimedes in the opposite direction of rotation (8), achieving an upward flow of water. In both cases all kinds of fish will move effortlessly and regardless of size or age.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

The described device has a preferred embodiment as functional removal of the obstacle represented by the walls of the 3 dams of generation of electrical energy in the Miño river called Frieira, Castrelo do Miño and Velle. A device will be placed in each of them. At present, the Mino river is inhabited by salmon, lampreys, eels, etc., in a length of 78 km from the mouth to the first obstacle, the Frieira dam. With the installation of these three devices, the length will be achieve is increased to 148 km to the tail of the Velle dam.

To carry out the ascent and descent of the fish, in the wall of each dam with a slope of 24 m, three endless screws will be used for three stages of 8 m located in series, coordinated with each other by automatisms and systems of control of operating parameters.

The systems will be manufactured in companies of the Galician or national naval sector with plans made by national engineering. The dimensions will be the adequate ones with the capacity of necessary flow to fill of water the endless screws in his low part. This circumstance is necessary so that the fish always remain submerged in the water.

The production of electrical energy in its stages of descent of fish will be of a power approximately equal to:

P=η·ρ·g·Q·H

Being:

-   -   P=Power     -   η=efficiency     -   ρ=water density     -   g=acceleration of gravity     -   Q=Flow     -   H=Height

With the following data:

Q=2.65 m³/second

H=24 m (3 stages of 8 m)

ρ=1

g=9.81 m/seg.²

P=63.600 kfm/s=848 HP=624.1 kW

We have η=efficiency=0.721

P_(in generation—descent)=450 kW

P_(en consumption—ascent)=450 kW

The energy produced by the generator will be proportional to the operating time of descending water through screw. The electric power consumption of the pump will also be proportional to the screw's operating time in water ascending through screw.

With 22 hours of descent and 2 hours of ascent daily, the net energy produced will be 3,285,000 kWh per year of operation.

At the current energy price of €0.041/kWh, revenues of €405,055/year would be obtained. For the three reservoirs considered there will be 9,855,000 kWh per year of operation. At the current energy price of €0.041/kWh, revenues of €405,055/year would be obtained.

From this income the volume of money that could be invested could be deducted so as to cover the costs of amortization of investments and return on capital.

The device is of industrial application, both from its constructive point of view, in an electromechanical workshop with sections of performing heavy plate work and electronics, and its important application is the generation of electrical energy. 

1. Device (1) for ascent and descent of fish for the save the obstacles in the rivers, generating electrical energy, characterized in that includes: A channel (7)-(8) for the conduction of water and fish and the control of its entrance (7) or exit (8) comprising, at the top of the device, a containment gate, closure and isolation (6) and in its lower part the entrance (7) or exit (8) of the waters and the fish. A fish attraction system towards the entrance of water into the channel. A fish repulsion system to prevent the absorption of fish by hydroelectric power plant turbines. A support structure (2) of the device. A steel sheet channel for water conduction, anchored with screws to the previous structure (2). An endless screw (3) composed of several rigid sheets formed as helicoids and connected to a central axis, supported at their ends by bearings anchored to the structure (2). A reversible system with two functions: the first one with the descent of the water and the fish through the support channel, induces the counterclockwise rotation of the endless screw (3) and the second by the rotation of the endless screw (3) clockwise, the elevation of the water and the fish is achieved. The screw (3) with its counterclockwise rotation, produced by the descent of the water and the fish, because it is coupled by means of the rotational speed variator (4) to the motor-generator (5), transmits the rotational movement that generates electric energy. The motor-generator (5), when operating as an engine, because it is coupled to the screw (3) by means of the rotational speed variator (4), achieves the rotation of the screw (3) clockwise and the elevation of water and fish.
 2. Device (1) according to claim 1 characterized by the arrangement of the screw (3), inclined, forming an angle of the rotation axis of the screw with the horizontal, depending on the operating conditions required by the objectives to be achieved.
 3. Device (1) according to claim 1 characterized by the placement of several screws of Archimedes (3) staggered in series, to get past dams and obstacles higher than those of an insulated screw. 